Dressed in flame-retardant hoods and gloves, they practiced battling fires, containing flooding and testing for chemical or biological agents.
"All hands man battle stations," commanders instructed over the ship's communications system as alarms blared. "Missiles inbound, brace for shot."
Hours later, the Eisenhower's executive officer signaled the end of the night exercise. Robert Aguilar wasn't happy.
"We are moving out of training and moving into combat," he told the ship. "This is no time for smoking and joking. We are getting ourselves ready for the war that we are headed into."
The USA TODAY NETWORK presents 'USS Eisenhower VR',
The USA TODAY NETWORK presents 'USS Eisenhower VR', an unprecedented VR interactive transporting viewers to an aircraft carrier during full combat training.
(Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK)
That was in April 2016. The Eisenhower and its accompanying carrier strike group, more than 7,000 sailors in total, deployed two months later to the eastern Mediterranean, where they joined the international fight to contain ISIS and served as a deterrent to threats from Russia, Iran, Syria and others in the volatile region.
Where to find "USS Eisenhower VR"